And A Happy New Year
by Foibles and Fables
Summary: Lexie Grey learns what it's like to really ring in the New Year. Mark/Lexie, explicit. Appearances made by the other characters, other pairings implied.


**Disclaimer: Grey's Anatomy is the property of Shonda Rhimes and ABC. This writing is for entertainment purposes only and is not for profit.**

For the surgeons of Seattle Grace Hospital, New Year's Eve was a time for celebration and renewal. Not to mention (of course) getting completely plastered and having a good time. Lexie Grey, hurrying up the walkway to Meredith's house, definitely wouldn't mind having a few drinks.

She rang the doorbell, already able to hear the sounds of chatter and laughter from the inside. She took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the bottle of tequila in her hand. Lexie still couldn't quite shake the nervousness that came with going to Meredith's house to be with all of her friends. She would survive, though. Everyone was going to be wasted within an hour of arrival, so that would help soften the blow.

The door whooshed open, and there stood Meredith, a drink in one hand and a pointy party hat on top of her head. "Hey, Lexie." She gave an obligatory smile. "Come on in." Lexie nodded and stepped into the warmth of the house. Meredith and Lexie looked at each other in a very uncomfortable silence.

"Um, I brought tequila," Lexie finally spoke, brandishing the bottle. "The good stuff!" she added a bit too cheerfully, punctuating the interjection with a "yay!". As soon as she said it, she knew how ridiculous she sounded. _Calm down, Lexie_, she scolded herself.

Meredith raised her eyebrows in an expression of surprise at the outburst, before her face returned to normal a fraction of a second later. "Good, thanks!" she exclaimed, trying as hard as she could to be supportive. "You can take it into the kitchen and put it with the other stuff. Trust me, you won't miss it. Here, let me take your coat." Lexie handed her jacket to Meredith and headed for the kitchen.

Meredith was right. The pile of liquor was very hard to miss. Lexie's jaw dropped when she saw that almost the entire kitchen table was covered with bottles of different shapes and sizes, with a few innocent beverages to make mixed drinks with scattered randomly. This was going to be an interesting night. Lexie pushed a bottle of rum aside to make a spot for the tequila.

Izzie and George walked in, also wearing those embarrassing hats. "Hi, Lexie!" Izzie greeted cheerfully. Lexie smiled back. She really liked Izzie; aside from George, with whom things were still weird, the perky blonde was the most accepting of Meredith's friends. She seemed strangely distant lately, though.

"Anyways, I wish Callie and Bailey could be here," Izzie continued her conversation with George. "It'd be a lot of fun to have everyone, you know?" She sighed and took a swig of whatever was in her cup.

"People still get hurt on New Year's Eve," George commented with a shrug, grabbing a bottle of beer. "Some people have to be at the hospital."

Lexie followed them into the living room, taking inventory of who was there. Meredith and Cristina were on the couch, laughing about something Cristina had just said. Derek and Alex stood together by the wall, every so often taking a drink from their beers. Lexie noticed that Derek wasn't wearing a party hat. It probably wasn't good for the hair. George and Izzie went to join them.

Lexie sighed, slightly disappointed. Besides Callie and Dr. Bailey, there was still one other person missing. Suddenly, the front door opened and a familiar voice boomed, "The party's here!"

Never mind. Lexie's stomach dropped as Mark Sloan, looking amazing in a collared shirt and slacks, strode confidently into the house.

Derek grinned, shaking Mark's hand firmly. "Happy New Year, man," Derek greeted. "You want a drink?"

"You know it!" Mark exclaimed before turning to greet everyone else. Lexie watched him, each and every one of her nerves suddenly on fire. Their secret relationship (or whatever it was) was still going strong, with many nights filled with amazing sex. It had gotten to the point where just the sight of him basically caused her to melt into a puddle of hormones. A whiff of his cologne did even more. Lexie felt her heart begin to race as Mark approached her. For an instant, she forgot how to breathe.

"Hey, Little Grey," he said with a half-smile, placing his hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture. Lexie's mouth opened to reply, but, much to her dismay, nothing came out.

"Dr. Sloan," she managed to choke out, her senses completely taken over by his presence. Mark nodded and withdrew his hand, his wrist slightly grazing her breast, winking furtively at her. Oh god, it was enough to drive her crazy.

Alex handed her and Mark a shot. Lexie looked Mark straight in the eye and downed the drink, the alcohol burning as it traveled down her throat.

She would need it. It was going to be a long night.

------

Alcohol-drenched minute by alcohol-drenched minute, the hours passed. Finally, it was time. At 11:58 PM, everyone gathered around the television, a filled-to-the-brim glass of champagne in one hand and an obnoxious noisemaker in the other. The champagne would do nothing to them; each and every doctor in the room was either totally intoxicated or well on their way there. Mark wedged himself between Lexie and Izzie, successfully making it seem like he was only looking for a place to stand. Not that Derek would notice, anyway. His eyes were too preoccupied with wandering Meredith's body in a completely obvious way.

In Times Square, New York City, the brilliant mirrorball began its descent, its glass facets glimmering in the bright lights of the street. George began the countdown, screaming at the top of his lungs, "_Ten! Nine! Eight!_" By "_six!" _everyone else joined in. Five, four, three, and two shook the walls of the house with the drunken yelling. One was somehow even louder.

Confetti exploded in Times Square as the ball reached its destination, officially commencing the New Year. Derek blew a lungful of air into his paper horn. Alex whooped and hollered, "Happy New Year!" before throwing back his glass of champagne, dipping Izzie over, and kissing her hard on the mouth. When they finally resurfaced, Izzie blushed deeply, giggling. Then, for only an instant, she stared into the distance with an almost apologetic countenance.

Meredith laughed and grabbed Derek's face, pulling him to her. She pressed her lips to his fiercely and desperately. Derek seemed to have no problem with that.

The doctors toasted to each other and to a wonderful New Year, drinking their golden champagne. They lined up to hug their friends and to kiss their lovers again and again. Izzie, Alex, George, Derek, and even Cristina gave Lexie a big hug, which she eagerly returned. It felt nice, being included like this. Still, Lexie gulped as Meredith came up to her.

"Happy New Year, Lex," Meredith said, smiling genuinely this time. The drunkenness probably had something to do with it. She opened her arms and drew Lexie into a warm-but-still-awkward embrace; she was even drunk enough to include a very quick peck on the cheek as well. Lexie, also somewhat under the fog of the drinks, sighed contentedly and wrapped her arms around her sister. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely good enough for then.

Once Meredith broke away and went back to basically making out with Derek, Lexie felt a tap on her shoulder. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood up. She whirled around to respond and was met with Mark standing there, just far enough away to be platonic.

"Don't I get a hug, Little Grey?" he asked, smirking as he finished off the last of his champagne. Lexie felt her skin grow hotter, and she cursed herself for it.

"Um, of course." Mark nodded and placed his arms around her in a seemingly uneasy hug. Lexie was amazed at how he could make this embrace so convincingly uncomfortable while, every time they had been entwined before, it had felt so completely right. They fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

Slyly, Mark blew hot air into her ear and slid his fingers into her front pocket. He pulled away and released her, smiling and biting his tongue behind closed lips. He walked over to Alex and George, leaving Lexie inexplicably dazed from that insignificant amount of contact.

Lexie reached into the pocket that was still warm from his touch, the skin tingling underneath. She took in a sharp breath of air as her fingertips touched the edge of what felt like a piece of paper. Carefully turning her back to the rest of the company, she pulled the paper out and unfolded it. Scrawled in sloppy-but-legible handwriting that was undoubtedly Mark's was a message:

_Lexie: If you want to really ring in the New Year, meet me upstairs in ten minutes._

The note wasn't very wordy, but it said so much. Lexie's heart pounded as she went over the small printed letters over and over, the image forever emblazoned in her photographic memory. In her subconscious, she knew that Mark was watching her, staring intently. Once she could feel her body and her brain began to work again, she whipped her head around to look at the clock. 12:08 AM.

"Okay, who needs another drink?" Alex asked loudly, holding a fresh bottle in each hand. A chorus of "me!" and empty glasses waving in the air immediately answered him. Lexie quickly crumpled the note with her shaking fingers and shoved it into her pocket, looking at the clock again before sitting down. Now, it read 12:09. Lexie swore under her breath.

By 12:11, she was ready to jump out of her skin. Mark hadn't even touched her yet, but she was aroused beyond belief. Having sex with him in Meredith's house with everyone just downstairs was an incredible concept.

At 12:14, Mark groaned and stretched his arms. "I need to take a piss," he announced quite loudly, making it a priority to lock eyes with Lexie before ascending the stairs. Lexie clenched her jaw impatiently, the fire in the pit of her stomach burning her from the inside out.

When 12:17 came around, Lexie slipped away from the loud talking and boisterous laughter. Nobody called after her. She grinned and bolted to the top of the stairs, starting down the upstairs hallway, eyes frantically scanning for Mark.

Suddenly, an arm shot out from what she remembered as the walk-in linen closet. She would have cried out in fright if a second large hand hadn't clamped over her mouth. She was yanked into the large closet and the door closed behind her. It was pitch-black, and she could only feel stray clothes littering the floor beneath her feet.

The dim light of a bare bulb flickered on, illuminating the small space. Lexie wasn't surprised to see that the person who grabbed her had been Mark. He grinned at her expectantly, his blue eyes darkened with desire.

"Surprise." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Lexie hit him playfully on the shoulder, about to jokingly yell at him for scaring her.

Instead, and she had no idea where it came from, she said throatily, "Come here." Mark gladly complied, taking her in his arms and kissing her hungrily. Lexie grinned against his lips and looped her arms around his neck. She wasted no time in deepening the kiss, opening her mouth to accept his tongue. It quickly grew fiery and desperate, and Mark gently pushed her against the wall.

He took a moment to nibble at her lower lip, his hands moving underneath her shirt, resting on her bare stomach. Lexie gasped as his slightly cold hands made contact with her warm bare skin. She broke the kiss, allowing him to remove her rust-colored sweater. He dropped it, and it fell to the floor, crumpled and forgotten. He unbuttoned his own shirt and shrugged it off. Lexie's hands instinctively flew to his biceps, running over the firm and developed muscles.

Their lips crashed together once more. Their bodies were pressed together so hard that their atoms could have fused. Lexie's fingernails gently scraped at his scalp, her fingertips stimulated by his short and wiry hair. Mark's hand skimmed up her bare back to the clasp of her bra. His trembling hands struggled with the hook-and-eye closure for a moment, something that had never happened before. Lexie knew then that he had wanted all night as much as she had wanted him.

Her bra came undone and he removed the straps from her shoulders, exposing her naked breasts to the air. Her usually meek personality always forgone before him, she smirked sexily and ran her hands down his stomach, fingers splaying over the intricate muscles of his abdomen. He exhaled slowly, his eyes fluttering closed. He was in awe of what Lexie Grey, this completely innocent woman, could do to him. Somehow, she had found a way to embed herself under his skin. Not that he didn't completely approve of this. Because he _did_.

His lips went for her throat, trailing small kisses along her neck, shoulders, and chest. He kissed her and reached for her breast, his thumb running across her nipple. She moaned softly into his mouth. His free hand fisted in her sleek dark hair as he continued to massage her breast in his hand. Lexie could feel him pressed hard against her leg. She could really tell that he needed this.

Not removing her lips from his, her hands went for the waistline of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping them quickly before tugging them down. Mark smirked, glad to see her taking initiative. As a reward, he removed his hand from her hair and reached below the waistline of her jeans and inside her panties. Lexie almost cried out as his adept fingers slid against her clit, managing to quiet her voice into a strangled whine. His touch quickly found a rhythm, and, her knees about to give out from the wonderful sensation, she wrapped her legs around his waist, suspended between him and the wall.

He pushed two fingers inside of her, and Lexie shuddered violently, digging her fingernails into his broad shoulders. They almost slipped; his muscular frame was slightly slick with sweat.

Lexie's already so far gone that all it takes is for Mark to crook his fingers in a "come-hither" motion once before she came, moaning his name again and again as her muscles tightened and relaxed around his fingers several time. White-hot light burned inside her eyelids, her back arching as she tightened her grip on him. She came down slowly, breath coming in slow bursts.

"Lexie." Mark swallowed, his own chest heaving almost as heavily as hers. "I need…" He shook his head, trying to clear it. "Your pants. Off." She loved that she could reduce him to sentence fragments. Unintelligible moans were next on the schedule, she hoped.

She set her feet on the ground again, still dizzy from her orgasm. He hooked his fingers in the sides of her pants and tugged them down in one fluid motion, panties and all. Quickly, he lifted her back up into position and entered her. Her toes curled and she threw her head back and he let out a muffled groan. Savoring the warm and wet feeling of being inside of her, Mark grinned at her with half-lidded eyes. "You have no idea how much I needed this," he whispered.

"Trust me, I'm pretty sure I do," she laughed. Not wasting any time, Mark began to slowly thrust, wanting to drag it out, wanting to torture her. Lexie let out something between a gasp and a whine, demanding that he go faster. He sped up without complaint, hands pressed flat against the wall on either side of her head, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw. He pressed his forehead against hers, their lips meeting in a passionate frenzy.

Lexie's mewling escalated with every thrust. Moaning her second release, she used her legs to pull him in and swiveled her hips forward. This drove him over the edge as well, and he grunted her name in intense pleasure.

Pulses racing, coated in sweat, the Lexie and Mark panted together, looking closely into each other's eyes. Mark was the first to recover. He smiled at her – a true smile, not his trademark manwhore sneer – and kissed her on the lips.

It was a very chaste, close-lipped kiss. Still, through her slight giddiness, Lexie felt something different about it. Something real, something genuine. Something that had been missing before. Mark pulled his head back, the beautiful smile still gracing his cheeks. "Happy New Year, Lexie," he said softly.

It was then that Lexie realized that it wasn't the sex that she was looking forward to. It was that instant afterward, the moment when the real feelings come out. It was the part when she could see who Mark really was. She felt a huge smile crawl towards her ears. "Happy New Year, Mark," she replied, her voice steady and strong.

They untangled and Mark threw his clothes back on. "Wait a few minutes before you come downstairs," he instructed. "You know, just to be careful." Lexie nodded, leaning against the wall, still naked. Mark kissed her one more time before slowly opening the door, checking both ways down the hall, and slinking out of the closet.

Still almost breathless, Lexie fixed her pants and rooted around on the floor for her shirt. She felt the soft material of the sweater under her fingers and she grabbed it. She pulled it over her head, not caring to look at it first. She fixed her hair, and she was sure that it did no good.

She crept out from behind the closet door, relieved when she saw that the hallway was still deserted. She took a deep, happy breath and started down the stairs. She turned the corner into the living room.

Everyone was scattered on the floor around the coffee table, playing some sort of card game. Cristina and Meredith each had a few cards stuck to their faces. Lexie looked at them quizzically for a second, but then decided that she really didn't want to know.

"Hey, Lex!" Meredith slurred. "Wanna join-" She stopped her sentence short, eyebrows furrowing and forehead wrinkling, completely confused. "Are you…are you wearing my shirt?"

Lexie's heart stopped for a good second and a half, swear to god. She looked down at herself, realizing in terror that the royal blue sweater that she was wearing was definitely _not_ the reddish one she had worn here. Her blood ran cold and she stammered, searching for an excuse.

"Um…no?" she offered lamely, spouting the only thing she could think of. Oh god, she was in trouble. Mark's eyes were burning holes in her, horrified as well.

Meredith stared at her for a few more seconds, her inebriated brain taking a bit longer than usual to process the information. Finally, she shrugged. "Okay," she agreed, nodding fervently. "Come on, next round!" she declared at full volume. "Aces are high!" Noises of agreement came from the rest of the group as they handed their cards to Meredith to be reshuffled.

Mark and Lexie exchanged glances. It took all of the strength they had left not to laugh.


End file.
